South Africa - MTN has spent ZAR 450 millions to prepare for the World Cup

[business day] MTN SA has spent R450m to roll out infrastructure for the Soccer World Cup, which starts next Friday.

The company, which plans to spend R4,1bn this year on network roll-out, has built additional infrastructure to ensure that its customers and tourists have uninterrupted access to voice and data services as it expects a growth in demand during the month-long event.

MTN SA chief technology officer Sameer Dave said the fans within the stadiums and the communities living and working around the stadiums would experience quality and seamless service throughout the event.

"We have ring-fenced the capacity according to Fifa requirements, and will ensure it is 'business as usual' for the rest of South Africans going about their normal daily lives," Mr Dave said.

In Soccer City alone, MTN SA spent R25m on infrastructure, including a 6km fibre-optic cable.

MTN has also equipped eight vehicles as mobile radio base stations to be deployed in areas that require extra network capability. MTN will also have engineers at each of the stadiums and 20 help-desk staff to monitor network performance and deploy engineers should a technical problem arise .

"We are confident that we are ready to deliver a world-class service as our responsibility that comes with being the first African global sponsor of the 2010 Fifa World Cup."

After the World Cup, MTN would reinstall the infrastructure elsewhere as part of its ongoing infrastructure roll-out process, Mr Dave said.

South Africa: MTN Spends R450 Million on World Cup